Posted on 12/19/2001 4:15:14 PM PST by ATOMIC_PUNK
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Iran's Rafsanjani suggests nuclear attack on Israel |
One of Iran’s most influential ruling clerics called on the Muslim states to use nuclear weapon against Israel, assuring them that while such an attack would annihilate Israel, it would cost them "damages only".
The speech by former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani failed to catch the attention of the western press but made waves in the Middle East.
"If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in its possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world", Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told the crowd at the traditional Friday prayers in Tehran.
In Washington Sunday, administration officials said the United States does not plan to target Iran in the war against terrorism.
"Iran is a situation where there are clearly some pressures from young people, there are pressures from women in that country," U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. "Iran had a different history than Iraq. I don't know, if nothing else happened and one looked at those two countries, I would say the likelihood of Iraq reforming itself is zero. The possibility, the remote possibility of Iran reforming itself is considerably above zero."
Dr. Assad Homayou, president of the Azadegan Foundation in Washington, D.C. agreed. "To me the issue is not nuclear weapons but the responsibility of the regime," he said. "This regime is not responsible and that is why I have always emphasized that the removal of this regime is imperative. As the U.S. secretary of defense said the situation with Iran is different from that of Iraq. People only need the moral support of the United States."
Analysts told the Iranian Press Service that Rafsanjani's speech marks the first time a prominent leader of the Islamic Republic had openly suggested the use of nuclear weapon against the Jewish State.
Rafsanjani advised Western states not to pin their hopes on Israel's violence because it will be "very dangerous".
"We are not willing to see security in the world is harmed", he said, warning that a war "of the pious and martyrdom seeking forces against peaks of colonialism will be highly dangerous and might fan flames of World War III."
Rafsanjani, who, as the Chairman of the Assembly to Discern the Interests of the State, is the Islamic Republic’s number two man after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was speaking on "International Qods (Jerusalem) Day" which is celebrated in Iran only.
The Pentagon, which has pressed for a second stage in the U.S. war against terrorism, does not support any military campaign against Iran. Instead, officials have urged that Washington target the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
On Monday, Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said the stifling of dissent in the country could spark a new wave of student protests, Middle East Newsline reported. Over the last 20 months, officials said, 56 publications have been closed. This includes 24 daily newspapers.
U.S. officials acknowledge that Iran is more advanced than Iraq in both missile development and weapons of mass destruction. They said that Iran, with Russian help, has succeeded in advancing its nuclear project and they could arrive at weapons capability as early as 2005.
But the officials said the administration has been impressed with Iran's help in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. The help has included military coordination, security along the Afghan border and intelligence exchange.
Some officials expect Iran to also quietly support any U.S. military campaign against Iraq. Iraq is Teheran's rival and neighbor and Saddam used chemical weapons against Iran during their 1980-88 war.
One scenario being envisioned by Pentagon sources is increased Iranian help to Shi'ite opposition forces in southern Iraq. The Iranian help could also include coordination for any U.S. ground attack in the oil fields around the southern port of Basra.
"I would characterize Iraq as a dictator in a repressive system that is unlikely to be altered from within absent an assassination or something like that," Rumsfeld said.
Do these idiots really believe that something so stupid would work? That we would sit by and just let them nuke an ally? I don't think so....
Chairman, no less. That would sound awesome on the resume.
fortunately, given the climate in iran today, we're far more likely to wake up to pictures of rafsanjani swinging from a rope in the town square in teheran than we are to awaken to news that a nuke has hit israel.
dep
< /SARCASM >
We'd only take out the cities. All those millions of square miles of beautiful uninhabited sand dunes would remain untouched.
That's called "Mutual Asured Destruction" or MAD, which kept the missiles in the silos and bombs in the bomb bays of the US and the Soviet Union for fifty years, without being used. MAD does not work, however, on terrorists.
Therefore, the primary long-term threat is nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists. Any terrorists, anywhere.
With his money and his access to sympathetic scientists (read, Pakistanis), OBL has been unable to surmount the technical problems of developing nuclear weapons. That takes years, and dedication. Iraq, Libya and North Korea are all working toward that deadly goal. All are perfectly willing to sell (or in Iraq's case, perhaps give) nuclear weapons to terrorists.
Therefore, the governments of these nations must fall. North Korea seems more aware that it is on "the list" than any current commentators and pundits in the United States are, as yet. Without threats being made against NK, it has announced that it is "ready for war." One more demonstration of the bankruptcy of Clinton Administration policies in trying to "talk nice" to NK to get progress.
Exactly as President Bush told the Congress and the American people, this war is not over until all nations which support terrorists, as well as the terrorists themselves, have been put out of business. Unlike World War I which President Wilson falsely claimed was to "make the world safe for democracy," this time the goal is more modest but also possible to accomplish.
We must now make the world "safe for civilized people." Not democratic. Not capitalistic. Not devoted to civil rights. Just civilized sufficiently that no major city anywhere in the world is wiped of the map by a nuclear weapon in a ship or truck. And that can be assured only by shutting down the sources of such weapons BEFORE they are operational. Which means NOW.
Congressman Billybob
The answer is simple: They are hypocrites. They never stick to any deals or cease-fires they agree to and they blame Israel for all of their problems. For example, we have Arafat who claims that Israel is putting a stop to the peace process and that he is doing all he can to stop terrorism, yet at the same time is condoning terrorism and is asking for more suicide bombers. The only thing they listen to is force, and a force that can finish the job, not like the one the U.S. had in the Persian Gulf War (why is Saddam still in power?).
And what do yo think we would do if China attacked Taiwan? Let me make it simpler: what would have we done two years ago, under Clinton, if either of these events had happened?
Do you see any actions other than filing a "strong protest" with the U.N.?
If Israel were attacked with Nuclear weapons and responded by using Hydrogen bombs on Mid East oil fields, what would happen to the oil lifted out of the ground by the blast or successive blasts of these weapons?
My guess is the energy released would be immense.
The biblical story of Israel’s enemies armaments burning for 7 years might be the result .
Oil is their real weapon. What makes anyone think Israel would leave the oil fields alone?
He is just talking through his turban. No same person would consider his suggestion.
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